2008-07-23My Winter in Rhodes
My Winter in Rhodes
Rhodes is predominately an island to visit in summer, it is reliant on tourists with most of the bars, restaurants and activities open May to October. The last direct flights leave at the end of October and many of the lively, bustling villages all but close down. But don’t despair!! After spending my first full winter here I found many ways to spend my time and found that it wasn’t the sleepy place I’d expected it to be.
Twice a week in Lindos, at the old school’s building, there are traditional Greek dancing lessons. From beginners (which I was) through to advanced, there is a class to suit everyone. It’s very enjoyable and sometimes strenuous as the hour long lessons take you through the many steps of a host of traditional regional dances. The routines certainly are intricate and taxing and after half an hour you feel as though you’ve run a marathon but the feeling of achievement when you’ve mastered a difficult dance makes it worthwhile! Some of the dances are fast tempo and most of the pupils are dressed for the gym, that’s one of the reasons I joined so I could do some form of exercise in the winter months. Although, admittedly I didn’t think it’d be such a good workout or I’d be so out of breath! As the dances became harder, you become more confident and some of the dances that you learnt at the beginning start to become second nature. You go around the room linking arms or hands in a horse shoe shape and you can really begin to enjoy yourself and not put as much thought in every step.
After learning dancing for a few weeks I had my first experience of a Greek wedding and really excited about putting my lessons into practice! There were about 300 guests and when the music started, lots of people got up to begin the dancing. You can cut into the chain of people anywhere and follow the steps. I had so much fun, there is such a party atmosphere and everyone is welcoming. It felt so good to be part of the community, not just watching everyone else enjoy themselves. I’m so glad I decided to take lessons it made the wedding festivities really welcoming and not scary at all.
The other highlight of my time dancing came in March. There was a carnival in Lindos, Pilona and Lardos. Our dance teacher, Nikos, invited ten of us to learn a very traditional Greek dance called Hasapiko to perform in front of the village. We had to dress up as fishermen, carrying a basket and wearing a fake mustache! Not great for my image but I’m so glad I volunteered because I had such a good time! We joined the parade in Pilona where they had an impressive 19 floats of various themes and followed them through the streets. We then came back to Lindos where we nervously performed our routine on a stage in front of the whole village. A great experience!
Apart from dancing there is so much to do and see. The roads are so quiet with hardly any cars on them and so it makes it a perfect time to explore the island. There is so much breathtaking scenery and beautiful areas so you can discover every inch of this stunning island without ever being more than a couple of hours away from where you stay. Rhodes Town is always a thriving place to visit with numerous cafes, bars, restaurants, and shops. There are two cinemas and lots of places of interest that you can spend your days. Rhodes is a fantastic place to be in the winter. You can do as much or as little as you like from socializing to relaxing, there’s something for everyone. One thing I can say for certain…There’s nowhere I would prefer to be in summer or winter!
By Clare Bennett
